


Falling Leaves

by MoonCat457



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Autumn, F/M, Ficlet Collection, M/M, Multi, Prompt Fic, Seasonal, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:14:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCat457/pseuds/MoonCat457
Summary: A collection of ficlets set in autumn.I’ll add relationship and character tags as I go along. Additional tags will be in the notes at the beginning of each chapter.Recent Update's Pairing:Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964032
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	1. Table of Contents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ficlets are based on a prompts from [**this list**](https://mooncat457writing.tumblr.com/post/631188183956193280/50-autumn-writing-prompts) if you want to request something.

### By Chapter

 **[Chapter 2:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65689573)** A Gift Four Years in the Making - Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (T, 890)

 **[Chapter 3:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65689891)** The Perfect Spot - Sirius Black/Remus (T, 840)

[ **Chapter 4:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65852830) Make That Two - James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Background Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (T, 1K)

[ **Chapter 5:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/66477088) A Perfect Crust - Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley (T, 1K)

 **[Chapter 6:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67202665)** The Cute Neighbor - Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (G, 1.1K)

[ **Chapter 7:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67296436) Were You Looking for This? - Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (T, 663)

[ **Chapter 8:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67572920) Cooling Potions and Warming Blankets - James Potter/Lily Evans Potter (T, 1.7K)

[ **Chapter 9:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67590248) Borrowed Flannel (A follow-up to A Perfect Crust) - Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley (T, 660)

[ **Chapter 10:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67713377) Leaves and Orange Sugar - Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas

[ **Chapter 11:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67734956) Campfires and S'mores (A follow-up to Borrowed Flannel) - Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley (T, 632)

### By Pairing

###### Sirius Black/Remus Lupin

 **[Chapter 2:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65689573)** A Gift Four Years in the Making (T, 890)

 **[Chapter 3:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65689891)** The Perfect Spot (T, 840)

 **[Chapter 6:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67202665)** The Cute Neighbor (G, 1.1K)

[ **Chapter 7:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67296436) Were You Looking for This? (T, 663)

###### James Potter/Lily Evans Potter

[ **Chapter 4:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/65852830) Make That Two (T, 1K)   
(Background Sirius Black/Remus Lupin)

[ **Chapter 8:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67572920) Cooling Potions and Warming Blankets (T, 1.7K)

###### Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley

[ **Chapter 5:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/66477088) A Perfect Crust (T, 1K)

[ **Chapter 9:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67590248) Borrowed Flannel - A follow-up to A Perfect Crust (T, 660)

[ **Chapter 11:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67734956) Campfires and S'mores - A follow-up to Borrowed Flannel (T, 632)

###### Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas

[ **Chapter 10:**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/67713377) Leaves and Orange Sugar (T, 1.5K)


	2. A Gift Four Years in the Making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 37\. I’ve been crocheting this throw blanket for four years and it’s finally finished. Please pretend it’s big enough and cuddle under it with me.  
>  **Pairing:** Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
>  **Word Count:** 890  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Living Together, Established Relationship, Gifts, Anniversary  
> 

Remus opens the front door of the flat he shares with his best friend (and very recently new boyfriend) and stops dead in his tracks.

“Sirius, what are you doing?”

Sirius looks up from the pile of yarn in his lap and beams. “What does it look like I’m doing, Moonbeam?”

Remus blinks at him. “It looks like you’re knitting. But that can’t possibly be the case because I’ve known you for ten years, and never once in those years have I ever known you to knit.”

“Actually, I’m crocheting. See,” he holds up his hands, which are tangled in loose yarn and what looks like a blanket, “one needle, not two. Well, a hook, not a needle.”

Remus continues to stare. “Since when do you crochet?”

“Since seventh-year when I started this stupid thing.”

“You’ve been working on the same blanket for four years? I’m surprised you haven’t charmed it to finish itself by now.” Remus drops his keys into the bowl on the sideboard and shrugs out of his autumn jacket and scarf, hanging them on the rack by the door.

“It’s meant to be a gift!” Sirius protests without looking up. “I didn’t want to take the easy way out and use magic. It would cheapen it.”

“Who could you possibly care enough about to work on a present for them for four years?” Remus asks as he toes off his boots.

Sirius lifts his head from his work again. “Who else?”

“Me?”

“Mm-hmm!” He says an enthusiastic nod. It was supposed to be a birthday present, but it’s a lot harder than it looked, so it’s taken me this long to finish it. I’m nearly done, though. I’m finally on my last row,” Sirius said triumphantly.

Remus nearly melts into the floor. He doesn’t know what to say. Sirius has been working for four years on a present for him. What can he possibly say about that? But then he remembers that sometimes he doesn’t have to use only his words to express his gratitude anymore, so he pads across the room, leans down, and kisses Sirius firmly on the mouth.

Sirius hums against his lips and pulls away. “I like that now when I’ve rendered you speechless, you just kiss me instead of standing there all flustered. Although you are cute when you’re flustered.”

Remus smiles through the blush rising on his cheeks and again brings their lips together for another, softer kiss. “I like that I get to now instead of pretending I don’t want to.”

“Me, too,” Sirius says with a grin.

Remus straightens. “I’m going to put a kettle on, do you want anything?” he asks on his way to the kitchen.

“Earl Grey?”

“I thought you didn’t like Earl Grey,” Remus calls as he taps the kettle with his wand to instantly heat it.

“I didn’t use to, but now I kind of associate the taste of it with you now,” he calls back.

“That’s corny,” Remus teases. He pads back into the living room with two steaming mugs and sets them down on the old school trunk they use as a coffee table. 

“Don’t pretend that you don’t love it, Moonbeam—Ah ha! Success!” Sirius ties off the yarn tail and severs it with his wand, then leaps up, holding up the blanket. “Happy four-year belated birthday. It’s a little wonky at the bottom because I couldn’t figure out the proper tension, but I got better over the years, don’t you think?”

Remus grins at his boyfriend, holding up the slightly lumpy, red and gold blanket. “You did. It’s terrific, Pads. Especially for your first project.”

“Can we snuggle under it? It’s probably not big enough, but we can pretend, right?”

Remus nods, and they lie on the couch, Remus settled between Sirius’ legs so the blanket covers them both effectively. 

“So, do you honestly like it?” Sirius asks, his voice as small and nervous as it was when he first confessed his feelings for Remus a few months ago. 

Remus tilts his head back to brush a kiss on his jaw. “I love it. It’s very soft.” 

“It’s alpaca wool. Kind of a pain to work with, but worth it,” he says, pressing a kiss to Remus’ temple.

“So, what made you finish it now rather than wait for Christmas or something like that?” 

“Oh, it’s going to sound corny,” Sirius mutters. 

“And since when has that stopped you before?” Remus teases.

Sirius knocks their feet together and sticks out his tongue. “Rude. But fine. Tomorrow it’ll be one year since we started living together, you know, just the two of us, without Prongs and Wormy.” He sighs and squeezes Remus’ waist a little tighter. “I don’t know, I just thought it was fitting.”

Remus twists in his arms to look at him properly. 

“Too corny?” Sirius asks.

“I love you,” he blurts out. He quickly covers his mouth, feeling mortified. Not because it’s not true, because it is. He loves this man more than anything, but they’ve only been dating for a few months. It’s way too early for—

“I love you, too, Remus,” Sirius says with a kiss on the forehead. 

“Yeah?” Remus mumbles into his hand.

Sirius pulls the hand away from Remus’ face and kisses him soundly. “Yeah,” he whispers, pulling him into his chest. 


	3. The Perfect Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 42\. Going hiking on for a first date  
>  **Pairing:** Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
>  **Word Count:** 840  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** College AU, First Date, Hiking  
> 

"Jamie, does this outfit look alright?" Sirius asks, turning away from his closet to show off the red plaid flannel shirt, jeans, and boots he had on.

"You're going hiking, does it really matter what you're wearing?" James asks without looking up from his laptop.

"It's my first date! I don't want him to think I'm some city boy who doesn't know how to dress to go outside," Sirius exclaims.

"You are some city boy, though," James points out, still without looking up from his essay.

"Oh, for God's sake, can you just look away from your stupid psychology essay and tell me if I look alright? He's going to be here any minute."

James sighs and looks up. "You look—wait, are those my jeans?"

Sirius shoves his hands in the back pockets. "I couldn't go hiking in skinny jeans, could I?"

There's a knock on their dorm room's door, making him jump.

"Oh, God, he's here." He runs both hands through his dark hair. "How's my hair? Is it fine down, or should I have put it up?"

"Jesus Christ," James mumbles. "You've gotten coffee with him at least a dozen times. You've already kissed him. Why are you nervous now?"

"We were both tipsy! And that was before—but this is an actual date, and—"

"You're going to be fine. You look great, and Remus really likes you."

"Okay." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Thanks, Jamie."

"You're welcome. Now go, so I can do my essay in peace," James says, waving him toward the door with a shooing motion.

With a nod, Sirius grabs his leather jacket off the back of his desk chair and walks to the door. "Hey, sorry. Jamie needed my help with something," he says once he opens the door.

Remus smiles at him. "That's okay."

Sirius smiles back and looks him over. He isn't dressed all that different than usual—tan jeans and a slightly oversized sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, with a pair of hiking boots instead of his classic converse—but still cute. Then again, he's always cute, with his tawny curls and the freckles on his nose.

"Hi," Sirius says.

Remus blushes. "Hi."

There's a cough from the room, the sound of James attempting to cover his laugh at their awkwardness, and the blush on Remus' cheeks deepens.

"Shut up, James Fleamont!" Sirius calls over his shoulder.

"HEY—!"

Sirius shuts the door with a huff.

"His middle name is Fleamont?" Remus asks.

"Yup. It's a family name, apparently." Sirius shrugs.

There's a long beat, then—

"So, are you ready to go?"

"You look nice."

They say at the same time. Remus blushes again, and Sirius rakes a hand through his hair.

"You look nice, too," Remus whispers.

Sirius smiles and drags a hand over his face to hide the blush threatening to form on his own cheeks. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm so…"

"Nervous?" Remus offers.

He nods.

"Hang on, I have an idea." Remus takes a breath and lets it out slowly, his shoulder relaxing as he exhales. He takes a step closer to Sirius and tilts his face up to kiss him. Sirius responds immediately, his nervous tension melting away as he reaches to cup Remus' cheek gently. It's just a soft, lingering press of the lips. Chaste, unlike their actual first kiss, which was a drunk mess of teeth. This is the kiss they could tell people about and have people say "aww" and not "yikes" (which was what James had said when Sirius had told him about Tipsy Kiss).

They slowly pull apart and smile.

"Still nervous?" Remus asks.

"Nope. You?"

He shakes his head.

Sirius lets his hand fall away from Remus' face. "Ready to go now, then?"

Remus laces their fingers together and gives his hand a small squeeze. "Yeah, let's go."

They take Sirius' motorcycle to get to the trails that were only thirty minutes away from campus. Then it's another forty-five minutes before they start to near the "perfect spot" Remus boasted about when he'd suggested hiking as their first date. Sirius is exhausted by now, but he's not complaining. One, because the trail is beautiful, he understands why Remus wanted to take him here, and two, because Remus hasn't let go of his hand for most of their walk.

"It's just through here," Remus says, shooting Sirius a soft smile. He leads him through a patch in the trees, and then they're in a clearing, looking out over the entire town.

"Wow," Sirius whispers.

Remus squeezes his hand and pulls him over to a massive rock to sit. "This view is why I decided to come to school here. I'd thought about going out of state, or even across the country, but I couldn't leave this view."

"I can understand why. It's gorgeous." Sirius turns to face him. "Thanks for sharing it with me."

"You're welcome." He smiles softly, and Sirius can't help closing the distance between them to kiss him.


	4. Make That Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 4\. Are you going to judge me if I order a pumpkin spiced latte?  
>  **Pairing:** James Potter/Lily Evans Potter  
>  **Word Count:** 1,060  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Background Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, College AU, First Dates, Coffee

"Holy shit." James stared down at his phone and blinked. He couldn't be reading that right. He cleaned off his glasses and looked at the text again. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, bolting upright on his twin bed.

Sirius groaned from his own twin bed and curled his arm tighter around his boyfriend's waist. "Jamie, we're trying to nap," he mumbled into a sleeping Remus' curls.

"Screw your nap! She said 'yes'!" James threw his pillow across the dorm room at the half-asleep pair.

Remus turned over and buried his face in Sirius' chest. "What's he going on about?"

"No idea," Sirius whispered into the top of his head before tossing over his shoulder, "What are you going on about?"

"Lily! She said 'yes'! I asked her out, and she said yes!" James basically screamed.

"There goes our nap," Remus mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "So, you finally wore her down, huh? Or has she just forgotten that she doesn't like you?"

"Hey!" James went to grab his pillow to throw at Remus' head but realized he'd already done that. "Sirius, shut your boyfriend up."

"Gladly," Sirius said with a smirk before pulling Remus onto his chest to kiss him soundly.

"Not what I meant," James groaned. "Alright, we get it, you're cute and in love. But you two are already together, so can we focus on my love life? I'm panicking over here.

Remus and Sirius laughed as they pulled away. "Fine," Sirius said, sitting up to face James. He kept one arm wrapped around Remus, who nuzzled into his shoulder. "Why are you panicking?"

"Because, as Remus said, she doesn't really like me all that much," James said. He ran his hands through his short hair, making it stick up wildly in every direction. "I'm not even sure why she said yes, to be honest. But she did, and I don't want to screw it up. What should I do?" He looks at Remus pleadingly. "You know Lily best, where should I take her? Is she the fancy dinner type or the go out hiking type?"

"Don't take her hiking," Remus said quickly. "I dragged her once, and she got into some poison oak somehow, and—well, let's just say that she still won't let me forget it."

"Ok, so no hiking then."

"Just take her to get some coffee. You can pay for her drink, which shows her that you're a gentleman but doesn't come across as showing off because it's just coffee, and just get to know her," Sirius suggested.

Remus looked up at him and smiled softly. "So, that was a calculated move?"

"Yup. And it worked, didn't it?"

"It did." Remus pressed a quick kiss to his cheek then turned to James. "Lily likes simple things. Just take her to that place just off campus that this one took me, and you should be fine."

The next afternoon, James stood outside The Three Broomsticks fighting the urge to run his hands through his hair, a habit he had that he overheard Lily saying annoyed her to no end. He checked his phone for the fifth time. Why had he decided to get here so early? The waiting was killing him. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, then when he looked up, he saw Lily strolling toward him. Her long red hair was piled up in a bun on the top of her head, and she was wearing a green sweater that brought out her eyes. God, she was gorgeous.

"Isn't this the place that Sirius kept taking Rem to?" she asked without so much as a greeting.

"It is. I figured that there must be something about it that made it worth coming back so frequently," James said with a smile. "Other than the excuse to pine over each other, that is."

Lily laughed brightly. "Are you saying that you've been pining, James?"

"I'd say that was pretty obvious, Lil," he returned. "You look really nice, by the way. That sweater is a good color on you."

She smiled. "Thank you. Shall we go inside?"

He nodded and opened the door, gesturing for her to go first. She smiled again and tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear before heading into the shop.

Since it was the only coffee shop off campus that wasn't a chain, it was relatively crowded, and the line was long. But James didn't mind. He wasn't in any sort of hurry. As they waited, he perused the menu and noticed the specials.

"Would you judge me if I ordered a pumpkin spice latte?" He asked after a moment of slightly awkward silence.

"Isn't that kind of a girly drink? I thought macho jocks like you were supposed to drink black coffee," Lily teased.

"Ok, first, black coffee is reserved for hangovers or all-nighters," he returned. "Second, I don't think a beverage can be inherently masculine or feminine. And even if they were, pumpkin spice is delicious, so I don't much care."

By then, they'd reached the front of the line, and the barista gave them a big, customer service grin. "What can I get you two?"

"A medium pumpkin spice latte for me, please," James said before turning to Lily. "Get what you want, it's on me."

“Make that two, but with almond milk in mine, please," she said to the barista.

James gave her an indignant look but paid for their drinks, and they stepped to the side before he said anything. "Oh, so you're going to make fun of me for ordering a PSL even though that's what you were planning on ordering?"

She laughed, and as much as he wanted to be, he couldn't even pretend to be mad at her. Not when her laugh was so infectious. "I needed to see how sensitive your masculinity is."

"So, you were testing me?"

She nodded.

"Well, did I pass?"

She nodded again and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. "And thank you for the coffee. Next time it's on me, though."

"Next time?" he asked, not bothering to hide the hope in his voice.

She simply smiled and grabbed their drinks when the barista called their order. "Come on, it's too crowded in here. We can walk and talk?"

"Yeah," he said, taking his drink, "I'd really like that."


	5. A Perfect Crust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 5\. How many times are you going to roll out that crust? -As many times as I need to! My grandmother’s apple pie recipe needs a perfect crust!-  
>  **Pairing:** Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley  
>  **Word Count:** 1000  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Everyone Lives, Established Relationship, Healer!Hermione, Baking, Meetings the Parents…again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing for Fremione, so I hope I did it justice! ~~It’s only very loosely about pie.~~

Fred rolls over in bed to find the spot next to him, usually warm, cold and empty. He looks at the clock on the nightstand. It's way too early be awake on a day he didn't have to work, but his hip is too stiff, and it's too cold to fall back asleep without the little space heater that was his girlfriend next to him. With a groan, he swings his legs out of bed, gropes for the pants that had been discarded the night before, and slips on his dressing gown before limping into the living room. 

George, who he still shared the flat above the shop with, is awake, too, always the early riser out of the two of them. He sits on the couch with a cup of coffee reading the Daily Prophet, Angelina's feet propped in his lap while she reads the latest issue of World Quidditch Monthly. 

"Morning, Fred," Angelina says.

"Morning, Cap," he returns, then nods at his twin. "George."

George raises his mug in greeting without looking up from the paper. 

"Where' s—?"

"Kitchen. She's been in there obsessively baking since before we got up," George replies before Fred even finishes the question. 

Fred sighed. "Sounds about right. Thanks." He pads toward the kitchen and pauses in the doorway, watching as his girlfriend forcefully rolls out dough on the counter by hand. 

Her fluffy pink dressing gown is rolled up to her elbows, and over it, she's wearing the apron Ginny got him and George when they first moved into the flat. Her curly brown hair is up in a top knot secured with her wand, pieces sticking out in a haphazard way that kind of reminds him of the Whomping Willow. It's a far cry from her usual put-together-Mungo's-healer look, but it's one that Fred adores since it's usually only him (and George and Angelina) that get to see her like that. 

He watches as she rolls out the dough into a flat circle, grumbles, forces the circle back into a clumped ball, and begins to roll it out again. She does this about five more times before he finally decides to intervene. 

“’Mione, how many times are you going to roll out that crust?" he says, coming up behind her to give her waist a quick squeeze. 

Hermione jumps and drops the rolling pin onto the counter with a loud thud. "Fred! Merlin, you scared me half to death!" she scolds. 

He chuckles and drops a kiss to the top of her head before leaning against the counter next to her. "Sorry, love," he says, not actually sounding all that sorry.

"And as many times as I need to! My grandmother's apple pie recipe needs a perfect crust," she continues. 

"You know, you are a witch. You could just—"

"Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean that I need to whip my wand out for everything," she retorts. 

"Ugh, you sound like my mum."

She hums distractedly and picks up the rolling pin back up to continue working. 

He frowns. "This isn't about the pie, is it?" She doesn't answer, so he pries the rolling pin out of her hands then turns her to face him. 

"It's going to sound stupid," she says before huffing to get an errant hair out of her face. 

He reaches up to tuck it behind her ear. "I'm pretty sure you're incapable of saying anything stupid. Now spill it."

"I want this pie to be perfect to your mother likes me, alright?" she says, exasperated. 

"Hermione, you spent every summer at my house from third-year on. My mum already likes you," he assures her. 

"Yes, but that was before—"

"Before she found out we were dating?"

"Before she found out that we'd been shagging in secret for a year because she popped into your flat for a visit," she corrects.

Fred gasps dramatically. "Ms. Granger! Such language out of you! And to think you were Head Girl."

"Technically, I never got to be Head Girl because I was busy hunting Horcruxes that year. But yes, you're a terrible influence on me," she retorts, smirking slightly before sighing and frowning again. 

"Look, love," he says, softening and wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. "Yes, it was unfortunate that my mum had to find out about us that way, but I think you'd agree that we were more than just shagging, even if we hadn't admitted it to ourselves at the time. Mum is always a little icy toward one of our significant others at first. You remember how she was with Fleur—"

"Not helping, Freddie. She _hated_ Fleur," she whines. 

"You didn't let me finish," he scolds gently. "But that only was because Mum didn't know her. Once Mum realized how much Fleur cared for Bill, she adopted her as one of her own. Mum already knows you. She may be a little hesitant right now, but that's because she's been even more protective over me than usual, seeing as I nearly died."

Hermione scowls. She hates when he brings up the accident so flippantly but has stopped saying anything about it. Laughter is how he copes. It always has been. 

"But you were the biggest reason why I even survived being crushed by a giant wall," he continues. "You were so caring throughout my recovery, staying by my bedside those first few weeks in the hospital when I wasn't even awake, holding my hand through physical therapy appointments, giving me chocolate to counteract the awful taste of my potions."

She blushes. "I was a healer in training. It was my job."

"You went above and beyond what was 'your job,' and you know it," he retorts. "It's why I fell for you, and once my mum sees that everything will be fine, alright?"

She sighs heavily, then smiles and nods. “Yeah, alright, Freddie.” 

"Good." He grins and bends down to give her a long kiss. "Now, how about I help you with this pie?"


	6. The Cute Neighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 17\. My scarf’s stuck in the door of my apartment building and I can’t reach the keypad to unlock the door to the lobby, can you help me out, neighbor-I’ve-never-spoken-to-before?  
>  **Pairing:** Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
>  **Word Count:** 1,112  
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Tags:** Neighbors AU, Meet Ugly, Flustered Remus

It was a windy autumn day, too windy to be going out, really. But Remus needed to get groceries; he couldn’t live off the saltines and peanut butter in his cupboard alone, so out he was going. He wrapped his scarf once around this neck and started to button his knee-length trench coat as he pushed open the security door to his apartment building. He was hit with a forceful gust of wind, making it exceedingly difficult to get the door open enough. He managed to get the door open just enough to quickly slip through before the wind slammed it shut again. 

However, he wasn’t quick enough to notice that the wind had blown back the ends of his scarf into the crack in the door he’d made. Except it wasn’t just his scarf, but his coat tail too. And the reusable grocery bag that had been having from his elbow. And because he’d barely wiggled through the door before it had slammed shut on his outer garments, there was no way for him to reach the keypad that unlocked the door.

In other words, he was stuck. 

He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out a way to get out of his predicament. Maybe he could wiggle out of his jacket enough to reach. He was just starting to give that a shot, turning to face the door to investigate the situation more closely, when he heard a man behind him. 

“Having a little trouble there?” the man said, the amusement clear in his warm and slightly raspy-but-in-a-sexy-way voice. 

Wait. That voice was familiar. _No. Please don’t be the cute neighbor I’ve been silently pining over since I moved into this building,_ Remus thought to himself as he whipped around toward the voice, forgetting for a moment that his scarf was stuck in the door. He coughed as the scarf tightened around his neck, strangling him slightly. 

The man chuckled as Remus loosened the fabric so he could breathe. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, not sounding all that sorry. In fact, he sounded amused, and it would piss Remus off to no end if he wasn’t so goddamn cute. 

Cute Neighbor, as his coworker Marlene had dubbed him, was tall—at least several inches taller than Remus—and fit, probably from playing some sort of intramural sport. Not that there was any evidence of that, he just seemed the type. He had shiny, shoulder-length raven hair—which was thrown up in a bun today—and his eyes were the most brilliant shade of silver Remus had ever seen, so bright that he was sure it couldn’t be real. 

And if all of that wasn’t bad enough, he looked like he was just coming back from a run based on the sinfully tight leggings and long sleeve t-shirt he was wearing. 

“Oh, no, you’re fine—it’s fine. I’m glad you’re here, actually. I’m a bit stuck, and—well, you can see that. Anyway, I can’t quite reach the keypad, and I would have tried to throw my keys at it to see if the fob triggered the mechanism, but I don’t really have great hand-eye coordination. It’s why I did track and field in high school to get my fitness requirement out of the way—” Remus stopped short as Cute Neighbor threw his head back and laughed. 

_Oh, God, I’m rambling._

“Here, let me help,” Cute Neighbor said. He fished his keys out of the waistband of his leggings and passed them over the keypad. The door buzzed then clicked open, and he pulled the door open effortlessly, thus freeing Remus.

Remus stepped back into the building’s lobby and adjusted his outer clothes.

“You’re freed,” Cute Neighbor said, flashing a brilliant smile. 

“My hero,” Remus breathed, then cringed. _My Hero? God, Zeus, Odin, someone, please just strike me down now. Put me out of my misery._

“Sirius,” he said, sticking his hand out. 

“What?” Remus asked, taking Cute Neighbor’s hand in his own. It was big and warm and oh so soft, and—

“My name,” he clarified. “Sirius Black, apartment twelve.”

“Uh—four. I mean, I’m in apartment four,” Remus supplied. 

“And your name? Because, while I love a good nickname, I can’t keep referring to you as Freckles, and Four isn’t much better.” 

_Freckles? He refers to me? He_ thinks _about me?_ “Oh, right,” he said dumbly. “Remus. Remus Lupin.”

“Like the wolf.” 

“Like the wolf,” he repeated for lack of something better to say. 

“Our parents really set us up for a life of ridicule, didn’t they?” Sirius said playfully. “You being named after a wolf, and me being named after a star.”

He let out a breathy laugh that was nothing like his normal one. “Yeah, I guess they did.”

“Well, it was nice to officially meet you, Remus.” Sirius brushed his thumb across the top of Remus’ hand, which Remus didn’t realize was still clasped in his.

Remus flushed pink and released Sirius’ hand. “Uh, yeah. Thank you. Nice to meet you, too,” he stammered. He smiled awkwardly, then started to head back to his main-floor apartment.

“Hey, Wolf Boy.” 

He stopped short and spun on his heel. 

“Weren’t you on your way out when you get stuck?”

_Right. Groceries. God, Remus, get it together._ “Yeah, right. Thanks.” He lowered his head and brushed past him, determined to end the most socially awkward interaction he’s ever had without losing any more of his dignity. 

But his subconscious had different intentions because he couldn’t help glancing back over his shoulder to get one last look at Sirius, who stood there with the most relaxed grin on his face. Remus waved a little too eagerly, cursed at himself, then turned to leave, this time paying more attention to his coat, scarf, and grocery bag to make sure they didn’t get stuck in the door again.

An hour later, Remus arrived back at his apartment, his grocery bag filled with food for the week and a large bag of chocolate to help him drown his embarrassed sorrows. He unlocked the security door, checked his mailbox in the lobby, then headed down the hall to his unit. He fumbled with his keys to find the key that unlocks the deadbolt but stopped short at the sight of an oversized hot pink Post-It stuck to his door, just under the number four. 

> Moony (I decided it was better than Wolf Boy)—
> 
> Call me, and maybe we can go on a run together sometime. Or I could teach you some hand-eye coordination for the next time you get stuck in the security door.
> 
> — Your Hero (Sirius)
> 
> (###) 867–5309


	7. Were You Looking for This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 15\. It’s finally hoodie weather, now give me yours  
>  **Pairing:** Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
>  **Word Count:** 663  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Hogwarts Era, Established Relationship, Clothes Sharing

Hogwarts in the fall was probably Remus' favorite time of the year. By the end of September, the leaves were beginning to turn, the nights were getting longer—and despite his furry aversion to the full moon once a month, Remus was a night owl through and through—and the temperature was starting to drop. And the dropping temperature meant fires in the Gryffindor common room, snuggling under blankets in bed, and, probably his favorite thing of all, it meant it was finally jumper season. But not just any jumpers. Specifically, Remus liked to wear his boyfriend's jumpers.

Sure, he had his own admittedly large collection of jumpers tucked into his trunk, all soft from repeated wears and washes, but there was something much more satisfying about stealing Sirius' jumpers and hoodies. They were softer and hung looser on Remus' slightly smaller frame. They smelled of butterbeer and the clove cigarettes he smoked to piss off his parents. And, somehow, they were warmer. Although that was probably all in Remus' head, he knew that, but it didn't stop him from nicking the red and gold Quidditch jumper from Sirius' trunk first thing in the morning of the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term.

After his morning shower, Remus walked out of the bathroom, wearing the jumper, tan corduroys, and a pair of mismatched hand-knitted socks to find Sirius in an otherwise empty dorm room kneeling in front of his trunk, digging through it haphazardly. "Looking for something, Pads?" he asked, sitting on top of the armchair next to his bed to put on his brown leather boots.

"It can't be dirty because I have even worn—" Sirius stops as he looks over his shoulder at Remus. "Oh, you little pilferer."

Remus smiled innocently. "Oh, were you looking for this?"

Sirius shook his head and rolled his eyes, but a smile played at the corner of his mouth as he stood and walked over to Remus. "You have at least a dozen more jumpers than I do. Why do you insist on stealing mine?" he asks, leaning down and bracing himself on the arms of the chair, effectively caging Remus in.

"Mine don't smell like you," Remus said with a slight pout.

The playful glint in Sirius' silver eyes softened, and he sighed. "Okay, that was cute," he admitted before leaning in for a soft kiss.

Remus brought his hand up to cup Sirius' cheek, elongating the kiss, and smiled when they finally pulled apart.

"And it is rather sexy when you wear my clothes," he continued, and Remus grinned triumphantly. "But, I'm stealing one of yours in retaliation."

"I'm okay with that. Although the sleeves may be short on you."

Sirius shrugged, dug through Remus' trunk, and pulled out a forest green cardigan. He pulled it on over his Joy Division t-shirt and ripped black jeans, and, as Remus had predicted, the sleeves were a little short on him, so he pushed them up to just under his elbows.

Remus looked him over appreciatively. "Only you could manage to make a bloody cardigan look that hot."

He smirked and leaned back over Remus in the chair. "Oh yeah?" he teased. "Maybe I'll keep it, then."

Remus bit his lip. "It's yours."

Sirius grinned and threaded his fingers through his tawny curls, then kissed him soundly. Remus responded immediately, looping his arms around Sirius' neck.

Suddenly, the dorm room door banged open, and they sprang apart to see James standing in the doorway, his eyes covered. "Oi, lovebirds, stop shagging, or you're going to miss the carriages down," James shouted.

"Prongs, we don't shag every time you leave the room," Remus said, mildly exasperated.

"Yes, we do," Sirius countered. "Sometimes, we don't wait until you leave the room," he added, earning a light smack on the back of the head.

"Merlin, you two are going to be the death of me," James sighed, keeping his eyes covered. "Pete and I are leaving without you."


	8. Cooling Potions and Warming Blankets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 36\. When you can’t choose just one snuggly blanket so you wrap up in all of them  
>  **Pairing:** James Potter/Lily Evans Potter  
>  **Word Count:** 1,746  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Hogwarts Era, Get Together, First Kiss, Potion Hijinks  
> 

"PEEVES!"

Lily's screech was followed by high pitched laughter and a clatter of armor as the poltergeist wooshed through a suit of armor in his escape from her. In the middle of the open-air Transfiguration corridor, she stood there, ice water dripping from her soaked robes and long, auburn hair.

James appeared from around the corner where he was patrolling for out-of-bed students, panting as he runs. "Lily?! I heard you shout. Are you—Why are you all wet?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him, glaring. "I f-fancied a swim in the Black Lake," she deadpanned through chattering teeth. "What do you think, P-Potter? Peeves r-rigged up a bucket of water to fall on whoever p-passed by."

"Which way did he go? I'll try to get him back," he said, drawing his wand and looking around wildly.

"Th-through the wall, so he's long gone. Bloody hell, it's f-freezing." Another shiver ran down her spine, and she drew her soaking cloak tighter around her.

James softened and took a few steps closer to her. "Here, let me," he said before waving his wand over her head, muttering a few charms over her. "Better?"

She pulled her now dry cloak more tightly around her torso. "Drier at least. Thank you, James."

More and more lately, she'd been slipping and calling him by his first name rather than his surname, and he couldn't help but smile every time. But then, he furrowed his brow. "Did the warming charm not work?"

"You cast a warming charm, too?" She shivered again and shuffled her weight between her feet as if moving would somehow warm her.

"Are you sure it was water that Peeves dumped on you?" James asked, ducking down to investigate the puddle of liquid still pooled at Lily's feet. He swiped a finger through it and brought it up to his nose to sniff. "Oh no, that's a cooling potion. That explains it."

"You're able to identify a cooling potion based on smell?"

"Yeah. I brew one sometimes for Remus when he's running a fever during the—"

"During the full moon?" Lily finished.

"You know?" He blanched and straightened up from his crouched position.

"I figured it out fifth-year."

"He never said—"

She shivered again, and James quickly unclasped his cloak then wrapped it around her shoulders, leaving him in his uniform Oxford button-down, trousers, and sweater vest. "Come on, let's get back to the common room. Unfortunately, the only thing you can really do with a cooling potion is wait it out, preferably in front of a fire with a blanket."

"But the rest of our patrol," Lily protested.

"Leave it to the prefects. It won't do any good to have the Head Girl dying of hypothermia," he countered and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to steer her toward the Grand Staircase. And whether it was because she was chilled to the bone, or she was just starting to warm up to him as a person, Lily leaned into his side the entire way back to the Gryffindor common room, much to James' joy. 

When they got back to the common room, James gave the Fat Lady the password and let go of her shoulder so they could step through the portrait hole. He tried not to read into the soft whine that Lily let out. It was probably just from the loss of warmth, not because of the loss of him.

The fire was still roaring, but the common room was empty, despite it only being 11:30 pm on a Friday night.

"You sit, and I'll get you a blanket," James told her.

She nodded and sat in the oversized armchair closest to the fire, first unclasping the cloaks and draping them over the back of the chair. Then, she pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees while James moved around the room, grabbing various blankets for Lily to choose from.

"Fleece, quilt, or wool?" James asked, stopping in front of the chair and holding up the three blanket options, each red and gold like the rest of the common room.

"Yes."

"All of them?"

Lily gave a small nod. "Cold," she said simply, in a small, vulnerable voice.

"All of them it is, then," he whispered, then he got to work wrapping the blankets around her shoulders and draping them over her lap. "There," he said when she was satisfactorily bundled. "Better?"

She nodded. "A bit."

"Good." He moved to sit on the couch to keep her company, but her hand shot out of the cocoon to grab his.

"Sit with me?"

"I was going to," he said, gesturing toward the couch. "I wasn't just going to go upstairs and leave you here by yourself."

"No, I mean here," she clarified.

"Oh."

It took everything James to not just melt onto the floor. It was probably just for warmth. Because while the armchair was definitely big enough for two people—James had seen Sirius and Remus both manage to fit on it at the same time dozens of times before—it was barely so. And yes, Lily'd been warming up to the idea of him over the past few months since they'd been named Head Boy and Girl, but not so much that she would suddenly want to cuddle with him in the quiet common room after years of dodging his advances. And they would definitely have to cuddle to fit on the armchair. No, it was definitely just for warmth, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. Carefully, he squeezed himself into the empty space in the armchair, resting his arm on the back of it in a way he hoped looked casual. Lily instantly leaned into his side, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, then distributed some of the blankets to cover him, too.

After a while, when her shivers had subsided, she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him through lowered lashes.

"Hey, James?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Lils?" he whispered back.

"Why did you keep asking me out?"

"What?"

"From the start of fifth-year, you asked me out at least once a week in increasingly ridiculous ways, even though I kept insulting you and saying no," she explained. "Why?"

He sighed and went to shove a hand through his hair but stopped, remembering how annoying she once said it was. "I knew you'd never actually say yes, and Sirius always laughed, so I thought it was funny. You'd get so annoyed. You'd get this little wrinkle in your nose, and you'd call me some clever insult…"

"But then you stopped," she prompted when he fell silent.

"The 'no's stopped being funny once I realized I wanted to hear the opposite," he admitted.

"So it was real?" A funny look passed over her face, and she pulled farther back to study his face.

"Wasn't at first, but it became that way, yeah."

"You liked me? Like, properly fancied me?"

He felt a pang in his chest and wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. She was probably just having him on, taking the mickey out of him or something like she usually did, but there was something in her eyes that made him pause. Something genuine. Something… almost hopeful.

So, he took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out, then softly said, "I still do." She was silent for a while, just staring at him with wide eyes, and he thought for a moment that he'd misread her, so he continued. "It's alright if you don't feel the same. I'm happy just being your—"

He was about to say friend, but he was cut off by a pair of soft, slightly cold lips pressing against his own. He was frozen for a few seconds, unable to respond as he processed what was happening, but then his brain caught up. He wrapped that arm that was still resting on the back of the chair around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his chest while his other hand moved to cup her cheek, lengthening the chaste kiss for another few seconds before they pulled apart.

"Oh," James said lamely.

"Eloquent," Lily quipped playfully.

"That's me," he replied with a nervous smile. "So, at risk of sounding pathetic, that was real, right? That wasn't 'step one' of some sort of elaborate payback plan?"

She smiled softly and nodded.

"You fancy me then?" He continued.

She nodded again. "I only said no the last few times because I didn't think you were serious—"

He grins, and she gives him a narrowed look.

"I swear to Merlin if you make that stupid joke—" she warns, but then her face softens. "But, yes, somewhere along the way, I secretly started hoping that you'd ask me out for real. But at that point, you'd stopped asking entirely."

"Well, if I were to ask again, what would you say?"

"Are you asking?"

"That depends on your answer," he teased.

She scoffed and swatted lightly at his chest, pulling a laugh from him. "Well, I would say that I would happily be your girlfriend, if you asked, that is."

"I'm skipping right over the date and going straight for the girlfriend thing, am I?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear.

She blushed and tried to duck her head to hide it, but he caught her chin and tilted her face up. "You'll still go on a date with me, though, right?"

"Hopefully, more than one," she replied.

"Definitely more than one," he agreed.

She smiled and settled back against his chest, his arms wrapped snugly around her.

"Still cold?" he asked after a while. Lily's shivers had stopped, but he wanted to be sure the potion's effects had worn off.

"Not as much anymore," she mumbled before burrowing closer to him.

"Good." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We should probably head upstairs soon, though."

"Probably," she echoed but made no moves to get up.

Not that James minded. Cuddling with Lily under a pile of blankets would go down as one of his top five memories to date. Possibly even his best memory, replacing the first time he ran as Prongs through the forest with Moony's wolf, because nothing could possibly be better than the feeling of her tucked under his arm.


	9. Borrowed Flannel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 49\. When she wears YOUR flannel shirt  
>  **Pairing:** Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley  
>  **Word Count:** 660  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Everyone Lives, Healer!Hermione, Established Relationship, Clothes Sharing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Healer Hermione is back y’all. This is a continuation of [A Perfect Crust](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917948/chapters/66477088).

“‘Mione, are you almost ready? We’re going to be late,” Fred calls from the living room.

Hermione frowns as she ruffles through her magically extended purse, then sighs, admitting defeat. Her jumper isn’t there, which means that she must have left it at her place in the back and forth. If they were apparating to the Burrow, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal because it wasn’t that cold out yet, and they’d be traveling door to door. But Fred was still having some vertigo problems from his accident, so they had to fly, and it was too cold to be flying without some sort of jumper over her black floral dress and stockings. 

“Love?” Fred says, poking his head into the bedroom.

“Sorry, I can’t find my jumper,” Hermione says, grabbing her wand from the bedside table. “I can just apparate back to my place really quick and grab one, then we can go.” 

Fred shakes his head and takes a few steps into the room. “Just borrow something of mine. I don’t mind,” he says before placing a hand on her waist and kissing the top of her head. “I like this dress, by the way.”

She blushes and picks at the hem of the dress. “It’s not too much?”

“Definitely not.” He smiles then lets her go. “Just grab something out of my dresser, and we’ll go. I’ll make sure the pie is safe for travel.”

“Thanks, Freddie.”

He leaves the room, and Hermione walks over to the dresser to rifle through the drawers. Fred’s wardrobe is severely lacking in cardigans, and all of his jumpers would dwarf her and cover her dress entirely. However, at the bottom of one of the drawers is a red plaid flannel button-down, something that she’d never seen him wear before. But it’s soft and won’t clash with her dress, so she slips it on, rolls the sleeves up a few times so they won’t hang too far over her hands, then heads out into the living room. 

“Freddie, I’m ready,” she calls.

He comes out of the kitchen carrying a paper bag with the pie in it, which he nearly drops upon seeing her. “Wh-where’d you find that?” he splutters, setting the pie down on the coffee table. 

“Bottom of one of your drawers. Is this alright? I can do change—”

“No!” he exclaims.

She gives him a funny look. “Are you alright?”

He nods furiously, then confidently closes the distance between them, his moment of fluster quickly having disappeared. “Sorry you look fine. Good.” 

“Oh?”

He rests his hands on her hips, then slides them up her back in between the dress and the shirt. “Really, really good.”

“Oh. _Oh._ ” She gasps as he dips down and nips at her neck. Her hands reflexively slip into his hair. “We have to go, though,” she protests. 

“I’m sincerely considering risking a migraine so we can just apparate there later,” he murmurs against her neck. 

“I don’t want to show up for dinner at your parents with that freshly shagged look—and don’t tell me that your mother wouldn’t be able to tell because she, unfortunately, knows that exact look,” she adds before Fred can get a protest in. 

“Do you have to bring that up right now?” He sighs and drags his lips to her jaw. “It’s kind of a mood killer.”

“Good, because we need to leave. It’s not a short flight to Devon,” she reminds him.

He presses a series of quick kisses to the corner of her mouth, her nose, then her forehead. “It would be if you let me hit top speed,” he grumbles. 

“You know I’m still a nervous flyer, and I’d rather not re-break your ribs by squeezing too tight,” she teases back.

“I know, love. Alright, let’s go. We can pick this up later, yeah?” he asks, wiggling an eyebrow at her.

She lifts on her toes to kiss him. “We’ll see.”


	10. Leaves and Orange Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 7\. A competition to step on the crunchiest leaf + 10. Leaves falling around us as we go for a walk  
>  **Pairing:** Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas  
>  **Word Count:** 1,545  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Hogwarts Era, Get Together, First Kiss, Competition

It was the first weekend in October, which meant it was Hogsmeade weekend. Normally, Seamus would be going with a larger group, like always, but he was still fighting with Harry over what the Daily Prophet was saying. Most of Gryffindor had either sided with Harry or decided to stay out of it completely, so it was just him and Dean. He didn’t mind though. More and more lately, Seamus preferred spending time alone with only Dean, anyway. They’d always been close, but something seemed different this year. Seamus started noticing things about Dean he hadn’t ever noticed before, like the focused face he would get when he was following potion instructions or the way he stuck his tongue out just a bit while drawing or how his eyes sparkled when he laughed.

Seamus was pretty sure he had feelings for Dean and not the typical friendly ones; the type of feelings like Ron oh so very clearly had for Hermione, but refused to admit existed. What he wasn’t sure about was whether Dean felt the same way. It wouldn’t matter if he didn’t. Nothing could change the fact that Dean was and always would be his best friend.

At a quarter past ten, once they’d had their fill of breakfast, Seamus and Dean strolled out of the castle’s front doors into the cold fall air. Seamus suppressed a shiver and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Smells like snow,” Dean mused as he tilted his face up toward the sky and breathed in deeply.

“You can smell snow?” Seamus asked in mild bewilderment.

“You can’t?”

“Also, it’s only October. There’s no way it’s going to snow this early.”

“It’s Scotland. Of course, it could snow this early,” Dean countered.

“It’s still too early. I mean, look,” Seamus gestured at the trees that lined the path from the Hogwarts grounds to Hogsmeade, “the trees haven’t even lost all their leaves yet.”

“Snow doesn’t have to wait for the trees to shed their leaves. All we need is a cold snap and some clouds with water in them, and we’ll have snow instead of rain,” Dean explained. “It’s basic science.”

“Oi, I know that!” Seamus exclaimed. “You’re not the only one with muggle knowledge, thank you very much.”

“Aww, look at you all indignant,” Dean teased, then threw his arm around Seamus’ neck and pulled him in to ruffle his hair.

Seamus grumbled and shoved at him slightly, making Dean laugh fondly. He then stared at the ground to hide his blush when Dean didn’t move his arm right away.

When they got to town, they stopped in Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop first, so Dean could get some new quills (because he had a tendency to chew on or snap his when stressed, which everyone was because of OWLs) and a new sketchbook since the one he currently had was nearly full. They popped into random shops throughout the rest of the morning, not really shopping for anything in particular, mostly just enjoying not studying. Around mid-afternoon, they stopped in Honeydukes to refill their candy stashes, then made their way to the Shrieking Shack.

“You know, I heard a rumor that it’s not actually haunted,” Dean mused in between licks of his orange lolly, which he’d dipped in orange powdered sugar because it apparently wasn’t sweet enough.

“Really?” Seamus asked, his mouth full of Chocolate Frog.

They leaned against the railing to stare at the dilapidated house. “Yeah. You know how Professor Lupin was—well, is a…you know.”

Seamus nodded and watched as Dean casually licked the sugar off his lolly.

“Well, I heard someone say that they think that might have been where he transformed while he was at Hogwarts,” Dean continued.

Seamus frowned. “So, the screams were just him?”

“According to the rumor.”

“Well, that’s just depressing and disappointing,” Seamus said.

“What, you preferred it when you thought it was a banshee that lived in there?” Dean teased, and Seamus’ frown deepened.

“Oi, shut it,” he fired back, throwing an elbow without looking.

Dean laughed and bumped his shoulder against Seamus’, forcing him to look up at him. A weird look must have passed over his face because Dean looked down at him with confusion and asked, “what is it?”

“You’ve got a bit of—” he gestured vaguely at orange sugar that was smudged on Dean’s top lip.

“Oh, thanks.”

Seamus stared back at the shack to avoid looking at him and tried not to think about how badly he wanted to reach up and wipe it off himself.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Dean asked, nudging Seamus again.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Seamus mumbled, keeping his eyes focused on the shack. 

“Shay…”

He felt Dean’s hand brush against his where it rested on the railing, and it was that combined with the nickname he hardly ever used that finally broke him. Before he could stop himself, Seamus turned and grabbed the lapel of Dean’s jacket to pull him down to kiss him. Then, as quickly as he’d pulled him in, Seamus pushed Dean away, muttering rushed apologies. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t—”

“Don’t apologize,” Dean whispered. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to do that for weeks.” A soft smile crept onto his face, a new one that stole Seamus’ breath. Questions swirled through Seamus’ mind, but then Dean leaned back in to press his lips firmly against Seamus’ again, and all thoughts vanished entirely. The only things on his mind were soft lips and the taste of orange sugar.

After a long moment, they broke apart and rested their foreheads together, eyes still closed.

“So, erm,” Seamus stammered, finally breaking the silence.

“Mhmm,” Dean hummed.

“Are we gonna talk about what this means?” Seamus asked tentatively despite being terrified of the answer. 

“What is there to talk about?” Dean asked simply. “We spend all of our time together, we’ve met each other’s families, you know me better than anyone else possibly could, and I like to think it’s the same for you—”

“It is,” Seamus interrupted.

“Exactly. You’re still my best friend, Shay. The only difference is that I now know what it’s like to kiss you.”

“And what is that like?”

“Brilliant,” Dean said with a soft smile. “And something I’d like a repeat of, if that’s alright with you, that is.”

“It is,” Seamus said again. “Now would be good.”

Dean’s smile turned into a grin that Seamus promptly kissed. He meant for it to be a quick one, but within seconds it escalated. Dean’s hands came up to cradle his head, angling it to deepen the kiss, while Seamus wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist, closing the distance between their bodies. After a minute, they pulled apart, their breaths mingling as they tried to return their breathing to normal.

“We should—”

“Head back to the castle?” Dean finished for him.

“Oh—” Seamus had been about to say that they should probably slow down, at least while they were in public, and continue their walk through town, but he liked Dean’s idea much better. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Dean smiled again, then released Seamus from his embrace.

Seamus stepped away and glanced at the ground. “You dropped your lolly,” he observed.

Dean looked down, then shrugged. “Worth it.”

Seamus smiled and blushed, his heart soaring slightly at the fact that Dean had dropped his candy, altogether abandoning it in favor of snogging him properly. “Come on, let’s head back,” he said after a moment, and they started heading back up the path that led from the Shrieking Shack to the Main Street. As they walked, Dean slipped his hand into Seamus’, which took him off guard for a split second, but it was enough for Dean to notice.

“Is this alright?” he asked, using their joined hands to pull Seamus to a stop.

“Yeah, it’s just—you’re not worried about people seeing?” Seamus asked nervously.

He shrugged again, which was mildly infuriating because he seemed so calm, whereas Seamus was quite the opposite. “Not particularly, no. But if you are—”

Seamus tightened his grip on Dean’s hand to prevent him from pulling away. “I’m not if you aren’t. Well, I am, but I also don’t want to hide who I am anymore, so yeah, this is alright. More than alright.” He smiled and laced their fingers together, then they continued on their way.

It was surprising how easily they fell into this new part of their relationship. Dean had had a good point: they were already close, so the transition shouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but it was still nice that things hadn’t changed all that much. Their conversation as they walked was exactly the same; they still joked the same way as they always had, they even fell into a competition to find the crunchiest leaf on the path back up to the castle. The only difference was that they refused to let go of each other’s hands during their entire competition, and when it was decided that Seamus won the game, he was rewarded with a chaste peck on the lips from Dean—a peck on the lips that quickly turned into another full-on song as the leaves continued to fall and swirl around them.


	11. Campfires and S'more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 1\. The smell of burning leaves makes me want to make out  
>  **Pairing:** Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley  
>  **Word Count:** 632  
>  **Rating:** T  
>  **Tags:** Everyone Lives, Healer!Hermione, Campfires

Hermione stands at the sink, washing dishes by hand then handing them to Alyssa for her to dry. Hermione had thought it was a little too early when Ron had first told her that he'd told his muggle girlfriend all about magic after only a few months of dating, but now that she's met her, Hermione understands why he's clearly so smitten with her. Alyssa is charming, patient, and kind. She seems to be a good fit for Ron and the rest of the Weasley family, and Hermione would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy having someone non-magic to interact with.

"Thank you for cleaning up, dears," Mrs. Weasley says as she waves her wand to put away the stack of dry dishes next to Alyssa, who doesn't even seem phased by the bit of simple magic.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione says with a smile, drying her hands on a towel.

"Hermione, you're an adult now; I think it's about time you called me Molly," she says with a kind smile.

Hermione's shoulders relax, knowing that she was finally back in Mrs. Weasley’—Molly's good graces. The homemade pie that Hermione brought probably hadn't hurt, but also, as Fred had said, Molly warmed back up to Hermione once she realized how much she actually cares for her son. And Hermione does care for him a great deal. She probably even loves him, although neither of them had said the words yet.

"I can handle the rest of this, though, dears. Why don't you go out to the yard? I think the boys are setting up a campfire for—what did you call them, Alyssa, honey?"

"S'mores," Alyssa supplies.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaims. "I haven't had s'mores in ages."

They start to head out to the backyard, and once they're out of earshot of Molly, Alyssa whispers, "I was absolutely floored Ron hadn't had them before. I mean, with the rate at which that boy eats chocolate—"

"The rate at which that boy eats anything, you mean," Hermione adds with a smirk.

They burst into laughter just as they reach the roaring campfire, drawing a few looks from the Weasley boys, Ginny, and Harry.

"What are you ladies laughing so hard about," Fred asks as he snakes an arm around Hermione's waist.

"Muggle things," Hermione says, earning a laugh from Alyssa before she walks to the other side of the campfire to find Ron.

A few minutes later, Molly exits the house, followed by floating platters carrying ingredients for s'mores and warm mugs of pumpkin juice. Everyone starts toasting marshmallows and sharing embarrassing Ron stories from over the years, mostly to fill Alyssa in since she wasn't there for any of them.

As the conversation dies down, Fred comes up behind Hermione and wraps his arms around her waist. "Hey, do you think we can sneak away?" He whispers in her ear.

"Why? Is everything alright?" She asks with concern. Fred's hip had been bothering him that morning, so she can't help but worry about him.

"Put your healer voice away, love. I just want some alone time with my beautiful girlfriend," he says fondly. "I've never had a girl in my childhood bedroom."

"Really, now?"

He hums in affirmation and presses a kiss to her cheek. "What can I say? The smell of burning leaves makes me want to make out."

"Everything makes you want to make out, Freddie," Hermione counters playfully.

"Guilty. So are you coming?"

Hermione takes a look around the campfire, railing that everyone seems preoccupied with their conversations. She cranes her neck to look at him and smiles before kissing him softly. "Fifteen minutes."

He grins mischievously. "I can work with that," he says before grabbing her hand and tugging her back toward the house.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](https://mooncat457writing.tumblr.com/)!


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